An Activity-Based Language Intervention Program for Kindergarten Children: A Retrospective Evaluation

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a small-group intervention based on the naturalistic approach on 220 children from 3–5 years of age. All kindergarten children received weekly sessions delivered by a SLP in collaboration with the kindergarten teacher. These sessions included various book related activities. Two intervention groups were identified: children from middle SES neighborhoods and children from low SES neighborhoods. A control group was matched to the first group and included children from middle SES neighborhoods. Children participating in the program were pre and post tested using three language tests in order to assess basic language skills. The main finding was that children in the intervention groups showed significantly greater gains from pre- to post-test relative to children in the comparison group. The program benefited children from different SES environments. The greatest progress was in the area of vocabulary. In sum, the combination of small group setting and age-appropriate interactive activities served to provide language promoting opportunities for these children.